METAL ALBUM OF THE MONTHDead Cross – Dead CrossHARDCORE AVANTE AGGRODrawing from their deep hardcore roots, Retox/The Locust bassist Michael Crain and Retox guitarist Justin Pearson join ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Faith No More/Fantomas singer Mike Patton to unleash explosive, punked out metal at speeds that would make Kerry King blush. Ferocious, political and savage, Dead Cross absolutely kill and sound refreshingly live and dangerous in an era of sanitized and overproduced heavy music.

Converge – I Can Tell You About Pain (EP)HARDCORE POSTCOREBoston crossover lifers Converge return with their first release since 2012’s excellent All We Love We Leave Behind. The title track is two minutes of scream-your-brains-out Convergecore, while the seven-minute B-side “Eve” offers a dronier boom, with signature roars from frontman Jacob Bannon and crackling God City production from guitarist/producer/engineer savant, Kurt Ballou. The quartet is planning a full-length release later this year, making I Can Tell You About Pain’s two songs more of a taste of things to come, but oh what a taste it is.

Sannhet – So NumbINSTUMENTAL NEO DOOM GAZE
Sannhet’s patient slow gaze reaches for catharsis over the abyss, giving their plaintive sound a nostalgic accessibility, setting them further left of center on the ever-shifting doom continuum.

Cormorant – DiasporaBLACKENED HEAVY PROGDiaspora finds the SF Bay Area quartet charting denser and catchier territory on its first release since 2014’s Earth Diver, mixing gravel-throated snarls with clean vocal harmonies and riffs aplenty. This four song album clocks in over a whopping 60 minutes of labyrinthine awesome. Yes please.

Howling Giant – Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2DESERT FUZZ STONER
It’s been one year since we last covered Howling Giant here in Battle Jacket and they’re finally back with the second of three concept EPs. And much like Part 1, it’s equal parts heavy and catchy.

Grant the Sun – Grant the SunINSTRUMENTAL HEAVY PROG
This Norwegian trio recorded this self-titled six song EP live in just three days. It’s chock-full of riffs, winding time changes, and intentionality, all heavily inspired by the likes of Meshuggah and The Ocean.

Fireburn – Don’t Stop the YouthPOST PUNK
Members of Nails, Bad Brains, Danzig and more join forces to create a 4 song crossover EP that’s somewhere between None More Black, Descendants and Municipal Waste (with a Regaton-synth detour, in “Jah Jah Children” and its remix).

Casey Lynch is editorial director of Square Enix where he works on Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Hitman and more. His first metal show was Anthrax, Testament and Metal Church in 1987. Djent with him on Twitter @Lynchtacular

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